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Life in the UK
After 31 years of living in the UK as a US citizen, I have recently taken
the ‘Life in the UK’ test, in preparation for changing my nationality (don’t
ask why now). You can prepare for it by reading the official Home Office
‘Life in the UK’ book. Based on the contents of the book, the Home Office
have come up with about 1000 multiple choice questions. You can take
practice tests online, and everyone gets a random set of 24 questions
from that. You need to get 75% to pass.
I found some of the practice questions manageable, like the capital of
Wales, what date Christmas Eve falls on, who the Queen is married to,
and whether I should approach the police if I was aware that a crime had
been committed. Some I felt I should have known, like the meaning of
Diwali and Eid Mubarak (and the fact that there are two Eids). But some
were just brutal, and it made me wonder what ‘Life in the UK’ is all about.
So, for your enjoyment, here are some of the trickier ones (answers at
the bottom):
1. How many National Parks are there in the UK? A.5, B. 8, C. 10, D. 15
2. How many times did Jackie Collins win the F1 championship? A. 2,
B. 3, C. 5, D. 8
3. What country was Florence Nightingale born in? A. UK, B. Spain,
C. Germany, D. Italy
4. Who invented insulin? A. John McLeod, B. Christopher Cockerell,
C. James Goodfellow, D. Peter Mansfield
5. How many million years ago was the Giant’s Causeway formed?
A. 20, B. 30, C. 40, D. 50
6. Which king is associated with the Battle of the Boyne? A. James II,
B. Charles II, C. Edward II, D. William II
7. Which of these musicians wrote The Planets? A. Henry Purcell,
B. Gustav Holst, C. Edward Elgar, D. Ralph Vaughan Williams
8. How long is the Bayeux Tapestry? A. 12m, B. 25m, C. 40m, D. 70m
So… did you get at least 6 right? If not, should the Home Office A. take
away your passport and put you on a raft in the English Channel, or
B. make the test more properly reflective of actual life in the UK?
[Answers: 1. C, 2. B, 3. D, 4. A, 5. D, 6. A, 7. B, 8. D]